The Gnome – Pleasant Sounds For Unpleasant Times Vol. 2 (Album – Ant-Zen)
Genre/Influences: Cinematic, Experimental.
Format: Digital.
Background/Info: Two years after the first volume, Tony D’Oporto aka The Gnome strikes back with a new album full of relaxing passages.
Content: The music moves on there where the first album stopped. The music becomes a sonic journey animated by pure vintage/analogue like sound treatments. The sound universe of the American artist is sometimes becoming a bit psychedelic but remains a dreamy experience from start till the end.
+ + + : The war in Ukraine wasn’t even started when this album was achieved, but it’s a perfect remedy to forget all tragedies. It will not help to solve the problems, but behind this relaxing experience is a message of hope and peace. I like the evasive sensation and especially “Serenity” is a true masterpiece. The evolution of this song into a psychedelic experience is pure magic. I also recommend “Balance” for the beautiful sound treatments.
– – – : I can’t say all tracks are even exciting as both aforementioned ones, but this album is an enjoyable experience.
Conclusion: An album with a sonic message of hope during dark times.
Best songs: “Serenity”, “Balance”, “Dream”.
Rate: 8.
Listen to “Pleasant Sounds For Unpleasant Times Vol. 2”:
Artist: www.facebook.com/gnomesofkush
Label: www.ant-zen.com / www.facebook.com/antzen.official
About The Gnome
The Gnome is an alias of Tony D’Oporto, an electronic musician from Southern California who has worked in trance, ambient and downtempo since the early 1990s. He also records as Gnomes Of Kush and as Crisis Actor, and performs regularly across North America.
The Gnome debuted with “In Quiet Spaces” on Cyan Music in 2013, followed by the self-released “Thinking” in 2016 and “Drift” in 2017. The German label Ant-Zen issued “Stillness” in 2018 and the first “Pleasant Sounds For Unpleasant Times” in 2020. The self-released “Short Stories For The Fall” followed in 2020 and “Calm” in 2021.
D’Oporto also works with Mark Spybey as Gnome & Spybey, a duo Side-Line covered in a Click Interview in November 2021. “Pleasant Sounds For Unpleasant Times Vol. 2” arrived on Ant-Zen two years after the first volume.
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